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Loving Paupers: Series Guide

Set Description:

Loving Pauper is a subseries of the Beginnings: 1880s: Base Set series of Ars Longa Art Cards

The Loving Pauper subseries was inspired thematically by a small group of related Goodwin & Co. products:

Old Judge (N172) cards & (N173) cabinets

Gypsy Queen (N175 Es) & Large Gypsy Queen (N175 Em) cards

Gypsy Queen brand cigarettes

Old Judge (N172) cards & (N173) cabinets

All of the player images used to make the Loving Paupers are original to the Old Judge (N172) series

Issued from 1886 to 1890 by Goodwin & Co. in packs of Old Judge and Gypsy Queen cigarettes, the Old Judge series depicts at least 520 different players, managers, owners and umpires from more than 40 major and minor league teams

More than 2,500 variations of these cards have been documented and previously unknown cards are discovered every year

Perhaps the greatest documentary of baseball in the 19th century and a permanent cornerstone of the baseball card hobby, the Old Judge series contains a trove of images that preserve and convey the unique character and characters of baseball during the sport’s pioneering heyday

Old Judge cards measure 1.5″ by 2.5″

Gypsy Queen (N175 Es)

Gypsy Queen cards were inserted into packs of Gypsy Queen Cigarettes from 1887 to 1890

Gypsy Queen cards measure 1.75″ x 3″

Gypsy Queen cards are considerably more scarce than their Old Judge counterparts

There has not yet been an organized attempt to catalog Gypsy Queens

Evidence suggests that fewer subjects were used for the Gypsy Queen format than that for Old Judge

Evidence also suggests that all the images used for Gypsy Queen issues are identical to their Old Judge counterparts

Large Gypsy Queen (N175 Em)

The Gypsy Queen (N175 Em) series of cards is also known as the Large Gypsy Queens

Large Gypsy Queen cards measure 2″ x 3.5″

Large Gypsy Queens are exceedingly rare:

Just nine players have been found on Large Gypsy Queens; seven from New York and one each from Boston & Indianapolis

Loving Pauper cards feature the same dimensions as the Large Gypsy Queens, 2″ x 3.5″

The Loving Pauper series makes an effort to balance the appearances of some of the most obscure Old Judge subjects by including some of the most recognizable

Whenever possible, I preserve the original Old Judge studio backgrounds for Loving Pauper cards; fully colorizing the subjects & using experimental filters with the canvas to provide a 3D-type pop to the players

In keeping with the Large Gypsy Queen theme, the Loving Pauper series will be kept modest in both size and population. I anticipate making about 50 cards for the series, each released just once per year

The Loving Pauper moniker is a bit of shameless self-reference. Conceived as an alter-ego brand to Ars Longa, the Loving Pauper name refers both to my surname and the poverty I’ve induced in pursuit of my muse

Loving Pauper is also a song by reggae artist Gregory Isaacs, which is, not coincidentally, one of my all-time favorite songs

Before & After:

Buck EwingGypsy Queen (N175)

Buck EwingOld Judge Cabinet (N173)

Buck EwingLoving Pauper

Card Reverses:

The Loving Pauper design has been used on the backs of all Loving Pauper cards from 2017 to present

The Loving Pauper design was loosely inspired by the original Gypsy Queen Cigarettes graphic design

The copyright & date stamp on the Loving Pauper reverse is updated yearly.